I had almond poppy seed on my mind after a wedding cake that I made this summer. I have a love affair with almond, and I have a natural weakness for ice cream in general, so it goes without saying that I couldn’t stop sneaking spoonfuls of this simple yet intoxicatingly-almond ice cream. I used my French Vanilla Ice Cream recipe, substituting almond extract for the vanilla, and adding poppy seeds for some visual flair. I can’t believe that I have lived this long without having almond ice cream, but I am excited because it certainly won’t be the last time. The richness of the almond flavor makes this decadent flavor a perfect choice for the fall and holiday months.

I used my French Vanilla Ice Cream recipe, substituting almond extract for the vanilla, and adding poppy seeds for some visual flair.

Ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups milk (or half and half)

1 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Instructions

In a large saucepan, beat the eggs, milk and sugar until well blended.

Cook the egg mixture over low heat for roughly 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. It should smoothly coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Let the mixture cool.

Add the heavy cream and the almond extract.

Stir until blended and refrigerate the mixture until it is completely chilled, for several hours or up to overnight.

Following the instructions of your ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into your machine and stir it until the ice cream forms.

As the ice cream mixes, add the poppy seeds and continue mixing.

It will typically be more like soft-serve when you first make it. If you want firmer ice cream, transfer it to a sealed container once it reaches the soft-serve consistency and let it freeze for several hours until it hardens.